"Analyzing one of American corporate history's greatest mysteries - the lost decade of Microsoft - two-time George Polk Award winner (and V.F.'s newest contributing editor) Kurt Eichenwald traces the 'astonishingly foolish management decisions' at the company that 'could serve as a business-school case study on the pitfalls of success'."

It doesn't seem that hyperbolic to ask "What self-respecting Apple user buys a computer at Best Buy?"

While I understand this being used as an argument here, I failed to see how someone buying a product somewhere else the *official* stores is less self-respecting.
Since when buying in brand stores is like going to church?!

AFAICT, your iPhone came packaged is exactly the same wherever you get it. Don't tell me it's about having a Apple's sanctified sale ticket, please!?!

> That said, the 20/1 ratio is probably accurate. MS is still a desktop monopoly, but they could have been so much more by now.

I also wonder whether that's a representative sample. Apple does have The Apple Store and there are independent specialty Apple resellers.

From web stats ( http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-ww-monthly-201107-201207 ), 20/1 seems about right ...yeah, 7% is a bit more - but, remember that Apple owners are more likely to be in countries overall most active on the web, and are also probably a more web-active demographic within their countries.

But generally, there's hardly anything "representative" with the few places where Apple machines have much of any presence, also where there are any significant numbers of Apple stores or independent resellers.

That said, the 20/1 ratio is probably accurate. M$ is still a desktop monopoly, but they could have been so much more by now.

Thanks god they failed

What do you think Microsoft has failed at exactly? Are you unaware of how deeply involved they are in our education system, goverment, and even military? Microsoft caters to consumers like you and I, but they have a whole other side to their business and it's massive.

It gets old hearing people ramble about how Microsoft is finished, when they couldn't be farther from the truth. They aren't going anywhere any time soon so you may as well get over it.